Ice cream for babies

24 October 2014 - 02:36 By © The Daily Telegraph
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Reading a negative horoscope may sway a person toward guilty pleasures, a new study finds.
Reading a negative horoscope may sway a person toward guilty pleasures, a new study finds.
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Ice cream may be the ultimate comfort food but a study suggests it could also help older women to have children.

Research has found that regularly eating dairy products significantly increases the chance of giving birth to a healthy baby.

Women over the age of 35 undergoing IVF at Massachusetts General Hospital Fertility Centre in the US were asked to record their food during treatment. Those who had the highest intake of ice cream, cream, yoghurt and milk were 21% more likely to give birth than those who rarely ate dairy products.

Three portions of dairy each day was enough to make a difference - the daily equivalent of a scoop of ice cream, a glass of milk and a slice of cheese.

Lead researcher Dr Jorge Chavarro of Massachusetts General Hospital said cow's milk contains hormones that improve chances of an embryo implanting in the womb.

"We found women with the highest intake of dairy were more likely to have live births. For women under 35 there doesn't seem to be an association but for over 35s the association is much stronger."

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